Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Confident He's The Best Cornerback In The League Going Into Year 2

The Pittsburgh Steelers were overjoyed when every other franchise decided to pass up on Joey Porter Jr. in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The team owned the first selection of the second round thanks to a trade with the Chicago Bears and happily scooped up the son of a player who was instrumental in winning the Super Bowl in 2005. Porter ascended to be the team's top cornerback in 2023 and he believes because of his performance, he should be listed among the elite cornerbacks in the league.

Porter was asked during the Organized Team Activities (OTAs) portion of the offseason, who he thought the best cornerback in the league was while speaking to the media after practice. His answer via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic displayed the confidence that the young rising star has in himself. 

"Me for sure,” Porter said. "There are a lot of good DBs in this league. Nobody was doing what I was doing going against WR1s the entire year and locking him down. I don’t care if I am mentioned in there or not because they are going to hear my name eventually."    

Porter didn't start immediately as the team preferred to ease him in. He didn't make his first start until Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but made his presence known in those earlier games with three passes defended and his first career regular season interception against the Baltimore Ravens.

Porter's self-assessment of how he bottled up the opposing team's top receivers was pretty closely mirrored by the statistics. According to Pro Football Reference, Porter allowed a completion percentage of 47.6 on 30 targets. That resulted in conceding 449 yards, including 133 yards after the catch. He allowed only one touchdown and maintained a remarkable 70.1 passer rating when targeted. He was rewarded for his efforts with a place on the 2023 PFWA All-Rookie Team and finished fifth in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Voting. 

In the second year of his career, the former Penn State Nittany Lions defender needs to work on reducing his penalties. According to NFLPenalties.com, Porter was the most penalized Steelers player in 2023, picking up eight flags. Four of them were for defensive pass interference, which was a problem for Porter in college. While he provided the team with tremendous value in coverage, the penalties took him down a peg.

Porter's other perceived weakness in his rookie campaign was his tackling ability. While the numbers only account for a missed tackle percentage of 6.5%, it was still an area he felt he could get better at. He explained to the media that he plans to play with a little extra weight on his frame in 2024 to allow him to be more physical in run support.

Steelers' Porter Absorbing All The Information He Can To Be League's Best Cornerback

As Kaboly pointed out in his article, even if Porter has the confidence to name himself the league's top cornerback, he's not quite there yet. The veteran scribe noted that Porter was beaten by the speedy Quez Watkins for a deep touchdown during a practice in the first week of OTAs. While Porter was picking up tips from potential future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson in his first year, Porter has a new mentor that he's not leaving alone in 2024. 

Donte Jackson was acquired by the team in a trade that sent Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. The 28-year-old is a former second-round pick and has 76 games of starting experience. He said that Porter is constantly pulling him aside to ask questions which the veteran cornerback said is a fantastic sign. 

Porter may be a little bold in his assessment of being the best cornerback in the league after one season. If he can build on it in year two however, then there's little to no reason why he can't be in that conversation. 

Do you think Porter can be a top cornerback in the league in 2024? Comment below!   

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